Argentina issues an early "endorsement" in favor of Venezuela's candidacy to the UN's Security Council

By Tony Pagliaro

Buenos Aires 05.06.06 | If there was ever any doubt that Kirchner’s Argentina is, in fact, just a “junior partner” of Hugo Chávez “Bolivarian” adventures a recent announcement by Argentina’s Minister of Foreign Affairs -former guerrilla member Jorge Taiana- confirms that the governments of both countries are carefully and carelessly dancing together an “intimate” tango in the international arena.

After meeting his fellow Alí Rodriguez, in Caracas, Mr. Taiana announced (in an early move, apparently destined to try to cause other countries to follow him) that Argentina has now decided to fully support Venezuela in its quest to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

This is a direct -and unnecessarily bully challenge to Washington, that has already openly disagreed with Venezuela’s candidacy.

Under Article 23 of the UN’s Charter, candidates to the Security Council must be able to show that they have made a strong contribution to the “maintenance of international peace and security”.
This is not the case of Venezuela. Much to the contrary, Venezuela’s credentials in its own region are very different.

It has definitely not developed “friendly relations” in the region. It has already seriously distanced itself from México and is about to severe diplomatic relations with Perú, that has accused Chávez at the OEA (and rightly so) of constantly intervening (openly, but unsuccessfully) in the Peruvian domestic affairs. In addition, Venezuela has established an “intimate” relationship with the “new” Bolivia, whose President, Evo Morales, now travels all over the world with Venezuelan Air Force planes; moves around “protected” by Venezuelan “bodyguards”; has an increasingly big group of Venezuelan “advisors” operating in different places of Bolivia; and has received a strange loan consisting of several Venezuelan helicopters which fly inside Bolivia with Venezuelan military crews.

Last, but not least, Hugo Chávez is the only Latin American open supporter of Iran. Both at the United Nations and at the International Atomic Energy Agency. And the Iranians are definitively behind the two terrorist attacks against the Embassy of Israel and a Jewish welfare institution, “AMIA” which caused the loss of hundreds of innocent civilians lifes. The support of Venezuela is, therefore, an open insult to Argentina’s large Jewish community and may well be interpreted as having some unfortunate racist undertones.

All of the above notwithstanding, the Kirchners' are openly supporting Hugo Chávez, despite the fact that Venezuela’s candidacy will in all likelihood not be “endorsed”, at the end, by the region.
This blunt and risky move by Argentina will definitely not go unnoticed in Washington D.C., Israel, and way beyond.